ZAGREB, Sept 11 (Hina) - A protest by laid-off police officers who were rallying in front of the Croatian government building for several months insisting on their re-employment, ended on late Tuesday night after a few
incidents.
ZAGREB, Sept 11 (Hina) - A protest by laid-off police officers who
were rallying in front of the Croatian government building for
several months insisting on their re-employment, ended on late
Tuesday night after a few incidents. #L#
Charges have been filed against Filip Lacic, an organiser of the
protest because of his failure to undertake measures to secure
public peace and order and to cease the protest at the request of the
police.
At around 11 p.m. Tuesday intervention police disrupted the
dismissed policemen's protest at St. Mark's Square, downtown
Zagreb, after incidents caused by two protesters.
One of them, Zeljko Spolodor, 29, refused to move his vehicle from
the square during yesterday's meeting between Croatian and Slovene
prime ministers at around 11 a.m. He also insulted police officers
who used force to get him out of the vehicle. He has been charged for
misdemeanour.
Another protester, Zvonko Lovrencic, 43, threw eggs and yoghurt at
Prime Minister Ivica Racan, but missed, and was charged with
endangering the prime minister's safety, Zagreb police reported on
Wednesday.
The decision to cease the almost six-month long protest was made
because Lacic could not maintain peace and order, so it was
reasonable to expect more disturbance of peace and order, the
police said.
Around 11 p.m. Tuesday intervention police arrived at the square to
break up the protest. The protesters withdrew into St. Mark's
church in the square. After a police officer entered the church to
warn them that the protest was over, the policemen-protesters
locked the church doors and held the officer hostage for five to six
minutes. Criminal proceedings have been initiated for the
abduction, the head of the Zagreb police commissioner's office,
Krunoslav Borovac, told reporters.
Zagreb police spokeswoman Stanka Saraja said she did not know what
happened at St. Mark's Square, but explained Lacic had been taken
into custody because he had not secured public peace and order,
which he should have done as the organiser of the protest.
"Lacic will undergo offence proceedings and will be taken before a
magistrate," Saraja said.
During the action, one of the police officers, who were taking Lacic
into custody, suddenly fell ill, lost consciousness and was taken
to hospital. A doctor said he had health problems due to
exhaustion.
(hina) lml